The nature of humor in human nature: Cross-cultural commonalities

It is contended that humor is a universal, pan-cultural phenomenon. Humor theory is examined on superiority, psychoanalytic, and incongruity-resolution dimensions. Cross-cultural humor commonalities are derived from the literature; and genetic, biological, and social dynamics of humor are explored. Intercultural differences in the content domain of humor are noted. It is concluded that humor is an appropriate intervention for ethnically diverse clients, when used sensitively in the counselling process.

[1]  Michael F. Shaughnessy,et al.  Humor in Counseling and Psychotherapy: A 20-Year Retrospective , 1992, Psychological reports.

[2]  Bt. Christopher Leeds.  Bilingual Anglo-French humor: an analysis of the potential for humor based on the interlocking of the two languages , 1992 .

[3]  C. Darwin.  The Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, Or, The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life , 2019 .

[4]  V. Frankl,et al.  The Will to Meaning , 1970 .

[5]  Dana L. Alden,et al.  Identifying Global and Culture- Specific Dimensions of Humor in Advertising: A Multinational Analysis , 1993 .

[6]  A Cross-Cultural Test of the Two-Part Typology of Humor , 1993, Perceptual and motor skills.

[7]  C. Darwin.  On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection: Or, The Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life , 2019 .

[8]  Language, Thought, and Tamil Verbal Humor , 1986, Current Anthropology.

[9]  P. Keith-Spiegel.  Chapter 1 – Early Conceptions of Humor: Varieties and Issues , 1972 .

[10]  A. Dundes.  At Ease, Disease—AIDS Jokes as Sick Humor , 1987 .

[11]  W. Chafe.  Humor as a Disabling Mechanism , 1987 .

[12]  Y. Ueno.  [The relation between the attitude toward humor, aggression and altruism]. , 1993, Shinrigaku kenkyu : The Japanese journal of psychology.

[13]  V. Frankl,et al.  The will to meaning : foundations and applications of logotherapy , 1988 .

[14]  A Cross-Cultural Study of the Structure of Humour , 1977 .

[15]  C. Palmer.  Anger, aggression, and humor in Newfoundland floor hockey - an evolutionary analysis , 1993 .

[16]  S. Freud,et al.  Jokes and Their Relation to the Unconscious , 1905 .

[17]  W. Ruch,et al.  Cross-national comparison of humor categories: France and Germany , 1991 .

[18]  W. A. Salameh.  Humor in Psychotherapy: Past Outlooks, Present Status, and Future Frontiers , 1983 .

[19]  J. Christensen.  Utani: Joking, Sexual License and Social Obligations Among the Luguru , 1963 .

[20]  James L. Carroll,et al.  Uses of Humor in Psychotherapy , 1990, Psychological reports.

[21]  Avner Ziv.  National Styles of Humor , 1988 .

[22]  C. McCauley,et al.  More aggressive cartoons are funnier. , 1983, Journal of personality and social psychology.

[23]  C. Davies.  Exploring the thesis of the self-deprecating Jewish sense of humor , 1991 .

[24]  WILLIAM F. FRY,et al.  The biology of humor , 1994 .

[25]  Thomas R. Shultz,et al.  The role of incongruity and resolution in children's appreciation of cartoon humor , 1972 .

[26]  A. Berger.  Humor: An Introduction , 1987 .

[27]  W. Ruch,et al.  Sensation seeking, social attitudes and humor appreciation in Italy , 1994 .

[28]  J. Rust,et al.  Genetic and Family Origins of Humor Preferences: A Twin Study , 1977 .

[29]  R. Eisenman.  Using Humor in Psychotherapy with a Sex Offender , 1992, Psychological reports.

[30]  J. Suls.  Cognitive Processes in Humor Appreciation , 1983 .

[31]  R. Haig.  Some Sociocultural Aspects of Humour , 1988, The Australian and New Zealand journal of psychiatry.